Objectives: Understanding the clinical and demographic profile of urinary tract infections in cervical cancer patients, including risk factors, microbial spectrum, and antibiotic resistance patterns, is crucial for improving therapeutic strategies. Material and Methods: Following the approval by the Institutional Ethics Committee, all histologically confirmed cervical cancer patients registered in 2024 at our institution were reviewed retrospectively. Data were recorded on a structured proforma covering demographics, symptoms, risk factors, clinical parameters, routine laboratory examination, and culture sensitivity study of urine. Urinary tract infection (UTI) was defined by ≥10 5 CFU/mL growth. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 20.0, was used for statistical analysis. Results: A total of 187 histologically confirmed cervical cancer patients were studied, out of a total of 218 cervical cancer patients after excluding ineligible cases. Urine examination was performed in 151 (80.7%) patients, and 52 (27.8%) had culture-confirmed UTIs. The majority of infections (78.8%) were detected before commencing cancer treatment. Postmenopausal women faced the highest UTI risk (64.1% vs. 4.7% in premenopausal women; OR = 35.97, p <0.001, phi = 0.640). Albuminuria increased risk to 41.2% (OR = 4.06, p = 0.012, phi = 0.202), and hydronephrosis to 31.1% (OR = 3.11, p = 0.004, phi = 0.209). International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) Stage IIIB was associated with a 32.1% UTI rate (OR = 2.80, p = 0.030), and current smokers had a 50.0% rate (OR = 5.39, p = 0.030). Chronic kidney disease carried a 38.9% risk (OR = 3.67, p = 0.018). On multivariate logistic regression, postmenopausal status was the strongest predictor for the occurrence of UTIs (aOR = 0.015; p <0.001). Glycosuria (aOR = 0.025; p = 0.020), ketonuria (aOR = 0.016; p = 0.028), albuminuria (aOR = 0.069; p = 0.020) and Stage IIIB disease (aOR = 0.065; p = 0.011) also retained significance. In the culture, positive urine results, Escherichia coli dominated (84.6%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (13.5%), and only one polymicrobial case. Both organisms retained full susceptibility to carbapenems and aminoglycosides. Coamoxiclav, ampicillin, and fluoroquinolones (except levofloxacin) showed high resistance. Conclusion: Postmenopausal status, FIGO Stage IIIB disease, and glycosuria are independent predictors of UTI in cervical cancer patients. Testing for UTI before starting treatment is needed for timely diagnosis. Timely diagnosis and tailoring empiric treatment to local susceptibility patterns will help manage infections more effectively.
Chakrabarti et al. (Mon,) studied this question.